


Red Flags

by alsoXov (Xov)



Series: FE3H rarepair drabbles [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Developing Relationship, Drabble, F/M, Secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 22:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30146871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xov/pseuds/alsoXov
Summary: Claude was just trying to read a book, honestly.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/Claude von Riegan
Series: FE3H rarepair drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2218845
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Red Flags

It’s when he spotted Seteth’s stony expression fixed on the book in his hands he knew his next three hours were already being slotted for a long lecture with no room for discussion on the many questions he’d already raked up from his first few months of living at the Officers Academy. For a place of education, there was a disturbing discouragement against learning anything that wasn’t a means to kill an enemy or a way to praise the goddess.

Unfortunate for Claude, given that he hated killing and didn’t have discovering religion written anywhere in his yearly planner.

So as Seteth made his first ominous step toward Claude, Claude did what any nimble youth faced with a boring afternoon would do and promptly fled.

“Oof,” said Claude as he slid around a corner and found the space occupied.

“Watch yourself!” snapped a sharp voice identifying someone high on the list of people Claude would never want to run into while making a run for it. Somewhere just beneath Lorenz and Ingrid. _“Claude?”_

“Hey there, Princess! Sorry about that. Would love to stop and chat, but you know. Things to do, places to go, people to run away from –”

“Not so fast, Claude,” Edelgard said with all the authority of the Adrestian Empire, an arm held out to halt any further attempt to escape. “You can’t possibly expect me to accept that poor excuse of an apology.”

Legs jittering with the itch to flee, Claude’s eyes flickered back the way he came from as he plastered a deeply apologetic grimace on his face. “Your Royal Princessness, please, _please_ forgive me for my transgression. I henceforth swear to always continue running for my life after I crash into someone rather than subject myself to giving awkward and half-hearted apologies.”

Unimpressed, Edelgard crossed her arms and hardened her expression.

Internally, Claude sighed and accepted that he’d both initiated a battle that cannot be won and lost his fleeting chance to escape Seteth’s ire.

“Edelgard,” Seteth greeted politely. “Claude,” Seteth greeted less politely and with a heavy dose of suspicion. “I trust that everything is alright? It was the strangest thing, but I could have sworn I saw you only a moment ago with an extremely concerned look on your face.”

“Me?” Claude asked, pointing at himself with his most charming grin. “Concerned? Nope, everything’s just peachy here, right Edelgard?”

Edelgard sighed. “While _peachy_ is not the word I would choose, I don’t believe there’s anything to be concerned about aside from Claude’s lack of propriety.”

With a nod, Seteth said, “I see. What a relief. However, it happens I _also_ could have sworn I saw a book in your hand, and I can’t help but admit that as an avid reader myself, I’m curious what the bright young minds of the Officers Academy are choosing to indulge in these days.”

“Book?” Claude revealed two empty hands. “Sorry Seteth, but it sounds like your eyes might be a little off today. Now I absolutely _hate_ to cut this short, but I’m supposed to be meeting up with Hilda for some training right about now, so…” Claude took a tentative step back, fighting the urge to laugh.

Seteth crossed his arms to match Edelgard. “Training,” he said, voice flat, “with _Hilda_.”

Claude coughed in lieu of letting his laughter escape, continuing his backwards trek. “Oh, yeah, she’s really turned over a new leaf lately, haven’t you heard? But I’m running late and I don’t want to discourage her and watch her fall back into her old ways –”

“Just go,” Seteth dismissed with a wrinkled brow and an exasperated wave of his hand. “But if you really intend to look for Hilda, you’ll find her in the cafeteria with Ferdinand.”

Claude faked a gasp as he turns in the direction of the cafeteria, deciding to add at least that tiny shred of authenticity to his series of obvious lies. “I’m a few minutes late and she’s already given up on herself?” he asked for the sake of performance.

Seteth’s heavy sigh followed him across the courtyard, but it’s Edelgard’s piercing stare that stayed with him even as he left her sight.

“Looking for this?” Edelgard’s voice teased when Claude returned to where he dumped his contraband when he ran into her. She examined the cover of the book. “ _Romance of the World’s Perdition_ … an interesting read. Stories of the old world, the old gods - certainly not something I’d expect to find in the monastery’s library. Or approved for the monastery’s library, for that matter.”

Wary, Claude shrugged on a casual smile. “When I find out a book’s been banned, I want to know why. Can you blame me?”

“No, I can’t. I must confess that I share the same curiosity. I’ve always believed that accepting someone else’s judgement about what we are allowed and disallowed to learn only leaves us shrouded in ignorance, vulnerable to those who remain better informed, and crippled by our ensuing lack of critical thought.”

“Well,” Claude drops the fake smile as something only a little more honest takes its place. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. But I have to say, I’m surprised. I wasn’t expecting to hear it from you.”

“No? Then tell me, what _do_ you expect from me, Claude?”

“I try not to hold any expectations if I can help it,” Claude opted from answering, holding out his hand. “Now, as enjoyable as our little chat is, I do want to read that book and work on developing some of that critical thought you mentioned. The longer we stand out here, the higher chances of Seteth showing up and whisking it away.”

Edelgard shifted her weight to one foot as she considered handing it over, a _hmm_ escaping her chest as she looked him over.

“I suppose I could return this to you,” she mused.

Claude’s hand dropped in resignation. “I sense a ‘but’ coming this way…”

The corner of her lips quirked up. “I could return this to you,” she repeated herself, “but what would I gain from it?”

“Is my undying gratitude not enough for you?”

“That depends on what your undying gratitude entails. Let’s say someday in the far future we, the leaders of the Empire and the Alliance, find our nations at odds. Would your gratitude truly be so undying that you would submit to me?”

Blinking, Claude almost found himself struggling for words. Almost. “Wow, you sure know how to turn a conversation around.”

Edelgard’s smile was sharp as she extended her arm, Claude’s book sitting unguarded atop her palm like bait set for a rat.

“Well?”

Claude hesitated, trying to locate the trap. “You know, after that - I’m not sure I want it back.”

“Relax. It was a simple joke. I thought you were fond of those?”

“Not going to lie, your sense of humor needs a little work,” Claude said, finally giving in and taking it.

“Is that so? I confess, I don’t often have the opportunity to indulge myself in such things,” Edelgard said, expression already schooled back into polite neutrality as Claude carefully tucked his contraband into a bag slung across his shoulder. “And for the record, you can forget that I was involved in this little exchange.”

“What exchange?” Claude said with mischief in his voice. “Don’t worry, Princess. I understand discretion.”

“I’m aware. You are a curiosity yourself, Claude von Riegan. For a short time, you almost had me believing you were little more than a clever fool. But now I find myself wondering who you really are, what other secrets you’ve been keeping aside from an interest in controversial books.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but there’s really not much more to me. You can stare all day at a rock you’ve just noticed for the first time, but at the end of the day, a rock is still just a rock.”

“Even a rock has potential, a history. And you are no rock,” she said as she fixed the folds of her cape before meeting his gaze one last time. “I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts about the book after you’ve finished reading it. Only if you’d like to discuss it, of course.”

“I’ll let you know if that’s the case,” Claude said, already planning to never speak to her of the subject again. Claude appreciated a healthy curiosity in others, but much less so when it was directed at him. Lorenz was already bad enough.

Even so - as Edelgard walked away, shoulders square, pristine white hair burning orange as it reflected the setting sun, Claude could hardly suppress the urge to follow.

Laughing darkly to himself as he patted the bag at his side, he shook his head and said to himself, “She’s dangerous,” before slinking off to find a quiet place to read.

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my first contribution to fe3h! I'm going to be writing a bunch of quick little drabbles for pairings that don't get enough attention, so if you have any pairings you like and never see, feel free to drop it in a comment and i'll add it to the list i've already got going. Most drabbles will probably be oneshots, but for some (like this one) I might eventually be adding some additional chapters. 
> 
> thanks for reading, hope y'all enjoyed what's here so far


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